Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, Post 20

Mission Statement

To preserve, showcase and interpret the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, Post 20, and its artifacts. To celebrate the history of GAR, Post 20 through exhibits and programs.

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, Post 20 was built as a memorial for Civil War veterans. On both a national and local scale the GAR was active in pursuing benefits for veterans. The GAR founded soldiers’ homes, worked to provide relief for widows and orphans, and lobbied for pension legislation. Membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or the Revenue Cutter Service who had served between 1861and 1865.

Aurora Post 20 was completed in 1878 for the sum of $7,184.54 These funds had been raised over a period of ten years by the Soldiers Monument Association and the Ladies Monument Association, a group that later became GAR Aurora, Post 20. The proud members of Post 20 were visionaries. The men had fought a long and bloody war for the abolition of slavery and preservation of the Union. Indeed, some had served in nearly every battle of that bloody conflict. In the very heart of a thriving new community they built a monument that would honor their fallen comrades while creating a legacy for the future. The GAR Hall was a sanctuary. It served as a gathering place for men who had fought side by side on the battlefields, it was a shrine to the Union dead, and it was a place of scholarship-Aurora’s first free library.

City of Aurora

Grand Army of the Republic, Post 20

Public Art Commission

23 E Downer Place

Phone: (630) 256-3400

Email: rchurch@aurora-il.org

Mailing Address

44 E. Downer Place

Aurora, Illinois 60505

Gallery Hours

The GAR Museum is closed for the winter and open by appointment only. The museum will reopen in Spring 2017. Check back for dates.

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Sponsored by the Aurora Public Art Commission and the City of Aurora, IL. All images are copyright Aurora Public Art Commission. Fair use of images consists of personal use, and use in an academic setting. For permissions for all other uses please contact: Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, Post 20, Virtual Museum and Research Center: rchurch@aurora-il.org